Palolem

Goa

A sea of molten silver reaching to infinity blends subtly on the horizon into a hazy gun metal gray: all framed perfectly by a shore of cotton sand fabricated in off-white cream. White candyfloss islands float lazily across this tranquil skyline, mirrored below by a rickety fishing boat manned by day-dreamers whiling away the sun. To the right a rocky cove juts menacingly from the shore providing darkness and contrast in an otherwise bright and pastel environ. Here perched, we observe a quaint wooden restaurant offering panoramic views, accessible only by a shaky ramp rising from the sand (maybe it’s made from pieces of long since drifted-wood). To the left creamy sands stretch into an undulating curve which is broken by an encroaching tide to create an isolated beach on the furthest side: behind which sit black rocky cliff faces beneath vibrant green trees. In the corner a ramshackle bridge of scrap wood upon bamboo like poles stretches out of sight into unknown territory. Dominating the scene and focusing ones eye – an emerald isle rests just metres from the isolated beach but still, only just, tantalizingly out of reach. It irradiates lush greenness like a shimmering gemstone, crowning the glorious view.


Among this idyll pale Europeans and milk-bottle Brits make their salutations to the sun, cooking their skin in the intense winter heat. More sensible locals cover their brown-leather skin with colourful thin fabrics, while beckoning the now disgruntled rich visitors to purchase whatever it may be they have to offer. Tall coconut palms inexplicably grow out of the undergrowth towards the sea, as if trying their best to hide the myriad bars and restaurants that lay beneath. Unfortunately, they fail and the colourful huts (leaking house music and reggae) that line the beach do a little to spoil the otherwise majestic views. Still this is the best beach I have ever seen, offering a perfect balance of tranquillity and convenience, or natural beauty and manufactured pleasures. This could be paradise. Welcome to Palolem.